A method (300) of operating a hearing aid system wherein the acoustical output signal intensity levels are confined to a range that primarily high-spontaneous rate auditory nerve fibres respond to, hereby providing sound processing that may benefit individuals with an auditory neurodegeneration, a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed carries out the method, a hearing aid system (100, 200) adapted to carry out the method and a method of fitting a hearing aid system.

The assistive hearing device implementations described herein assist hearing impaired users of the device by using automated speech transcription to generate text representing speech received in audio signals which can then be read in a synthesized voice tailored to overcome a user's hearing deficiencies. A speech recognition engine recognizes speech in received audio and converts the speech of the received audio to text. Once the speech is converted to text, a text-to-speech engine can convert the text to synthesized speech that can be enhanced and output in a voice that compensates for the hearing loss profiles of a user of the assistive hearing device. By transcribing received speech into text the assistive hearing device implementations described herein eliminate background noise from the audio signal. By converting the transcribed text into a synthesized voice that is easier to understand to hearing impaired persons, their hearing deficiencies can be remedied.

The exemplary disclosure describes a hearing system e.g. comprising a Hearing Aid device comprising a cellphone and/or user worn device where some of the programs are carried out by components embedded onto the user worn device and some programs by hearing system components, e.g. which are inherently part of cellphones. The hearing system improves the intelligibility of voice messages arriving e.g. through the cellphone and/or other speaker, and/or e.g. via connected earphones and/or directly through the free air. The user can call diverse programs suitable for different situations, by using e.g. inertial sensors embedded in the hearing system, e.g. in the user worn system and/or e.g. are inherently part of the cellphone.

The present disclosure relates to a method for reducing a listener's task-irrelevant auditory perception, the method comprising providing a measuring device or system configured for measuring the listener's alpha, beta gamma and/or theta activity and providing a generation device or system configured for generating an alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity boosting signal that, when provided to the listener will increase the listener's ongoing alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity. The listener's alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity is measured and if the measured alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity is below a predefined threshold, the listener's ongoing alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity is increased by the provision of the alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity boosting signal to the listener. This results in the listener's ongoing alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity being increased, resulting in facilitating reduction of task-irrelevant auditory perception, such as the auditory perception of noise or tinnitus, and thereby also increasing the listener's ability to understand speech under adverse listening conditions. The present disclosure further suggests using the listener's measured alpha, beta, gamma and/or theta activity to judge if the listener is ready to understand speech, and if this is not the case to delay a speech signal until a sufficiently high activity is present.

A hearing aid and related systems and methods are disclosed. In one implementation, a hearing aid system may include a wearable camera; a microphone; and a processor. The processor may be programmed to receive images captured by the camera; receive audio signals representative of sounds received by the at least one microphone; determine a look direction of the user based on analysis of the images; determine an amplitude of a first audio signal associated with an individual or object in a region associated with the look direction of the user; determine an amplitude of a second audio signal from a region other than the look direction of the user; adjust the second amplitude in accordance with the first amplitude; and cause transmission of the second audio signal at the adjusted amplitude to a hearing interface device configured to provide sound to an ear of the user.

A method (100) of fitting a hearing aid system comprising identification of an auditory neuro-synaptopathy of a person based on the sensitivity of the person to temporal masking, a hearing aid fitting system, a computerized device (200, 300), a server (302) hosting a web service and a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed carry out said method.

A method of automatic switching between omnidirectional (OMNI) and directional (DIR) microphone modes in a binaural hearing aid comprising a first microphone system, a second microphone system, where the first microphone system is adapted to be placed in or at a first ear of a user, the second microphone system is adapted to be placed in or at a second ear of said user, the method includes a measurement step, where the spectral and temporal modulations of first and second input signals are monitored, an evaluation step, where the spectral and temporal modulations of the first and second input signal are evaluated by the calculation of an evaluation index of speech intelligibility for each of said signals, and an operational step, where the microphone mode of the first and the second microphone systems of the binaural hearing aid are selected in dependence of the calculated evaluation indexes.

A method for directional signal processing for a hearing aid includes generating first and second input signals from an ambient sound signal using first and second input transducers of the hearing aid and forming first and second directional signals based on the input signals. The directional signals have relative attenuations in directions of first and second useful signal sources. First and second amplification parameters for amplification of first and second useful signals of the signal sources are ascertained. A reference directional characteristic is defined for a reference directional signal. Based on the amplification parameters as a function of the reference directional characteristic, corrected first and second amplification parameters are ascertained so that an output directional signal, formed as a sum of the directional signals weighted by using the corrected amplification parameters, merges into a linearly scaled reference directional signal, if the first and second amplification parameters are equal.

For selecting audio input, a processor calculates audio scores for device audio from a plurality of electronic devices. The processor further selects a first device audio based on the audio scores. The processor presents present the first device audio at a listening electronic device.

A hearing assistance and/or noise suppression device leverages computing power of an external device with a digital signal processor, such as a special unit that is configured to communicate with a smart device (e.g., a smart phone, smart watch or smart pendant) or a smart phone with a digital signal processor. Methods include having a hearing transducer communicate with and offload computing tasks to an external device with a digital signal processor. Systems include a hearing transducer with transducer circuitry that receives, amplifies and outputs digital signal processed audio from another device. Methods provide self-adjustment and fitting through a touch screen interface, which can be conducted outside of a clinical setting in a real world environment, and method can include remote data collection and communications with clinicians.